


Cosmic Music

by tuberc-leo-fics (lourthor)



Category: VIXX
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Science, Superpowers, a lot of science, non-au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9422225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lourthor/pseuds/tuberc-leo-fics
Summary: Hongbin woke up in his bed, choking on sea water. That was the moment that everything changed.





	1. Nightmares

Hongbin found himself floating through the water, no resistance blocking him as he moved, faster than he could even swim, his body taking him wherever it wanted to go. It was dark, and as Hongbin tilted his face up to find the sun reflecting off the surface of the water, he spotted nothing, only more dark water.

 

He spent what felt like several hours just passing through the water, seeing very few plants as he passed by, and even fewer fish. Logically, Hongbin knew that if he was in the deep sea, he shouldn’t be able to see anything, but somehow he could. He felt his body pause in front of these long, reed-like creatures, with red tops opening up like a lily, slowly swaying in the still ocean. They were nestled between black rocks, dotted with something white, sticking to the surface. He reached a hand out, trying to touch whatever it was, but his hand passed through.

 

Hongbin felt his body as it turned around, neck straining slightly as he was propelled forward again. He drifted for a while longer, seeing more of the curious red creatures, or plants, or whatever they were, settled between the rocks. He reached out to touch another one, hand moving without a thought, but this time, his fingers didn’t pass through and he grasped the tube. In his surprise, Hongbin inhaled sharply through his nose, and immediately opened his mouth when he inhaled water, it burning down into his lungs. He backed up slowly from the tubes, coughing and inhaling more water, before he felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up. Slowly, he turned around and saw what looked to be a giant squid coming closer to him. He opened his mouth to scream and…

 

…sat up in bed, choking on salt water as he coughed, the water pouring out of his mouth and onto the blanket covering his lap. It burned his throat as it came back up, but Hongbin kept punching his stomach and coughing, trying everything he could to get the water out of his lungs and stomach. When he was done, and the shaky breaths he was trying to take didn’t hurt anymore, he stood up, taking his soaked blanket with him, intent to do some laundry before anyone would notice.

 

“Hongbin,” he heard someone say, and he turned around to see Hakyeon and Taekwoon awake, staring at him from their beds. He inhaled through his nose sharply, glad that he wasn’t inhaling salt water this time, and set his blanket back on his bed before taking small, halting steps toward Hakyeon, the sound of his bare feet scuffing the floor.

 

“Hongbin,” Hakyeon said again, patting his bed to force him to sit down. “What just happened? Are you okay. You sounded like you were…” He trailed off.

 

“Dying,” Taekwoon said, picking up Hakyeon’s sentence. “You sounded like you were dying, panicking. You were afraid when you woke up.”

 

“I wasn’t” Hongbin snarled back before he glanced at where Jaehwan was still sleeping and lowered his voice. “I wasn’t scared,” he sneered on the last word. “It was just a bad dream, now can I please go back to bed?”

 

Both Taekwoon and Hakyeon stared at him for several moments longer before Taekwoon hesitantly spoke up.

 

“You don’t believe that,” he said confidently, despite his soft voice. Hongbin turned toward him with a raised eyebrow, begging him to continue. “You don’t believe that was just a dream.”

 

“Shut up, hyung,” Hongbin said back to him, but his heart was speeding up and he could feel it pounding in his chest, trying to escape. His breathing got worse as he started to panic. “It was just a dream. Just a dream,” he said, reassuring himself, but his thoughts kept turning to what had happened, touching the red tube in the water, coughing up ocean water on his sheets, and he started to panic more.

 

And as quickly as he had started to panic, it all stopped, and he felt a calm start to bleed into his brain, edging out any panic that once existed. When he no longer felt like he was in the midst of a panic attack, he looked up at the other two, expecting to see them looking at him with pity in their eyes, as they usually did whenever he had an attack. Instead, he saw Taekwoon staring at Hakyeon, his eyes narrowed as he grabbed onto his wrist.

 

“Hakyeon, what did you do?” Taekwoon asked, long fingers grabbing Hakyeon’s wrist tightly, his tone of voice demanding. Hongbin was confused with what could have happened between when he started to panic and when he looked up again, but Hakyeon’s eyes were open in fright and his mouth parted slightly as he licked his lips, staring back at Taekwoon.

 

“What do you mean, Taekwoon-ie?” Hakyeon asked trying to smile, but his voice wavered as he tried to pull his hand away.

 

“You changed Hongbin’s emotions. Somehow, you made him calm down.”

 

Hongbin stared at Hakyeon, silently wondering if that was true. He had never met anyone with powers before and had silently suffered through his own discovery many years ago alone, relying on fiction stories to understand what his wandering when he slept meant. It had crossed his mind several times that others must have powers like him, but it wasn’t something you could ask someone without being locked up.

 

“I didn’t do anything, Taekwoon,” Hakyeon had replied, glaring at Taekwoon. “Besides, how would you know?”

 

That… was a good question, Hongbin thought, staring at the two eldest as they fought. He was not okay with Hakyeon manipulating his emotions, if what Taekwoon said was true, but how would Taekwoon know anyway?

 

“I-” Taekwoon said before licking his lips, staring at his hands. “I just… feel things. People’s emotions. Hongbin was panicking and all of a sudden, you and him were feeling like the exact same person. As if you took your emotions and made them his.”

 

Both Hakyeon and Hongbin stared at Taekwoon, who wasn’t looking at either of them. But he didn’t need to, because he could judge what they were feeling quite easily.

 

“You’re right,” Hakyeon finally said, making Hongbin turn to face him. “I could see that Hongbin was panicking, and I wanted to stop it. So I made him calm.”

 

“I don’t like it,” Hongbin said quietly, and the two looked at him. “I don’t want you to change my emotions.” He curled his hands into the blanket beneath him and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

 

“But Hongbin,” Hakyeon started, reaching a hand out toward where Hongbin had placed his own on the bed.

 

“No, hyung,” Hongbin said, snatching his hand back. “I was panicking because I woke up with my lungs full of sea water. I almost drowned in my sleep and if I don’t panic now, then I’ll be anxious for days. So please-” his voice broke and he couldn’t continue, so he just brought his hands up to cover his face, trying to force the tears back into his eyes.

 

“Can we be honest with each other?” Hakyeon asked after Hongbin had calmed down. Both boys nodded, their eyes cast down. “We need to understand what the others can do. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met someone else who could do something like this. I’d like to know… I’d like to know what you can do. We can support each other through this. Okay?”

 

Hongbin couldn’t find a way out of Hakyeon’s logic, so he nodded, reluctant to part with the secret that he’d been holding for so many years. Taekwoon looked just as reluctant, but he had already shared a bit about his powers. He too nodded, making Hakyeon smile.

 

“Good,” Hakyeon said. “As I said, I can manipulate emotions. It’s… useful. I think I was in middle school when I first discovered I had the ability, but I’ve had it for longer than that.”

 

He took a deep breath before starting again.

 

“I’ve always been a pretty positive person and everyone around me was happy too. They doted on me, and I’m pretty sure I was manipulating how people felt about me for a long time. When I was in middle school, everyone started to change, grow into their own people, and I didn’t like that. One of my friends befriended a new kid in the school, and they got close. I was excluded from things, so I got mad and made him hate his new friend, and like me. Everything I wanted him to feel, he did. I started to practice until it became second-nature. And now, I manipulate everyone I meet.”

 

“Why?” Taekwoon asked quietly, staring at his friend. Hongbin also looked over, trying to judge what Hakyeon was thinking.

 

“Why?” Hakyeon repeated, “Because I want everyone to like me. All the mean people in the entertainment industry, the self-absorbed people, ready to hate idols, they all love me. And they like Vixx. I want them to, so they do. I do it to help our careers.”

 

This was a Hakyeon that Hongbin had never seen before. Hakyeon was always smiling, and it made others want to smile too, to be around him; he drew people to him like a moth to flame. And they all played right into his hands.

 

“So it’s all…” Hongbin didn’t know how to continue, but Hakyeon gave him a small smile, shaking his head.

 

“It’s not all faked, if that’s what you think. I’m just a very charismatic young man, and people are attracted to that.” Hongbin rolled his eyes at that. “No but really, when I see someone who I can tell is not enjoying me, or Vixx, or has doubts about something, I change it. That’s all.”

 

“Right,” Hongbin said, his ideas about their leader starting to crumble the more he learned. “Right. Do you use it on us?”

 

Hakyeon’s guilty look made Hongbin cringe away slightly. Taekwoon also got a nervous look on his face.

 

“It’s not what you think,” Hakyeon said softly. “When you guys are down, or morale needs to be boosted and Jaehwan and Sanghyuk aren’t helping, then I help everyone a little. Not enough to make a one-eighty, but to help you guys see that maybe things aren’t that bad.” Hakyeon’s voice got even softer. “You all deserve to be happy.”

 

“It’s fine,” Taekwoon said softly, surprising Hongbin and Hakyeon. “You feel… regretful. And in pain.”

 

“Can you feel all our emotions?” Hakyeon asked, pushing the focus onto Taekwoon. He nodded.

 

“It’s… difficult. I’ve known since I was a child. I never understood that everyone else couldn’t feel the emotions. Everything was fine as a kid. All anyone cared about was making friends, or playing soccer. Emotions are simpler at that age. At home it was… difficult. I could feel my sisters’ emotions as they went through puberty, my mom’s worries when my dad was away too long, my dad’s frustration with his job.”

 

Hakyeon and Hongbin were both transfixed with Taekwoon’s story. He’d started to open up to them more when they debuted, and was continuing to do so for the several years they’ve been a group, but he never talked for this long without stopping. He preferred simpler sentences, things that could be said in one word instead of ten.

 

“Middle school was difficult. Everyone was changing, and their emotions changed with them. Soccer used to be about having fun, but my teammate’s lives started seeping in to practices, their hate, betrayal, lust, happiness. And I just couldn’t understand it. I didn’t know what drove them. Everyone started to be something more than happy kids, and I didn’t know how to be anything but. I was constantly bombarded with emotion upon emotion, and that’s…” he took a deep breath to still his shaking voice, “impossible to deal with. So I kept quiet, watched and learned, and the more I watched, the more I understood. But by then it was too late.”

 

Hakyeon gave him a small smile. “Kids are cruel to those that don’t fit in. And they don’t forget.” He reached out to touch Taekwoon’s knee, but was stopped by a glare. Hongbin understood.

 

“There’s more, isn’t there?” he asked, staring at Taekwoon as he did so. Taekwoon nodded, glancing back at Hongbin before turning to stare at Hakyeon.

 

“It got a lot worse in high school and after graduation. I started to feel my friends’ and family’s thoughts upon my skin. With a single touch, I could understand exactly what was bothering someone. So far, it only happens with people I’m close with, but I am constantly worried that I’ll wake up one day and be able to hear everyone’s thoughts, and slowly go crazy.”

 

It was silent after that, Hakyeon staring at Taekwoon with tears in his eyes and itching fingers that didn’t dare touch his skin now. Hongbin was staring at his own fingers folded in his lap, eyes itching for some unknown reason.

 

“Astral projection,” Hongbin said after a couple minutes, finally looking up from his lap. Hakyeon had a look of understanding in his eyes, probably knowing exactly what Hongbin was saying because of the numerous sci-fi and fantasy books he read. Taekwoon looked confused.

 

“I have no control over it,” Hongbin said, his voice in a monotone. “Every time I go to sleep, my astral body travels. I thought they were dreams when I was younger. But then I started seeing images of things that happened while I was sleeping, and I would wake up to those being a reality. I float into a club and  watch a woman assaulted and stabbed, then wake up to hear it actually happened. Do you know what that’s like?” Hongbin asked, staring at Hakyeon and Taekwoon, his voice getting a little louder than he would like. “Do you know what it’s like to see something happen, but are powerless to stop it?”

 

Hakyeon and Taekwoon shook their heads, still staring at Hongbin.

 

“Tonight was different,” Hongbin said, bringing his arms up to hug himself. “I was traveling through the ocean. It’s just my astral body, you know?” he asked them, pleading for them to understand, “it’s not supposed to affect any part of my physical body. But I touched something in the ocean and inhaled water and woke up with the water in my lungs and I couldn’t breathe and it effected my physical body and I don’t understand. This has never happened. It’s not supposed to happen,” Hongbin said, getting hysterical again. “What is happening to me?”

 

Taekwoon moved slowly over to Hakyeon’s bed and sat next to Hongbin, putting an arm around his shoulder as Hongbin started to sob. Hakyeon looked over with tears in his eyes, but made no move to manipulate the emotions Hongbin was feeling at that moment. Just as slowly, Hakyeon crawled over to put his arm around Hongbin’s waist and pushed his head down so he was half laying on Hakyeon. Both of them stroked his hair as he cried.

 

“It’s okay,” Taekwoon whispered to him, pushing his hand through Hongbin’s hair, trying to calm him down.

 

“It’s not okay, do you know what I see?” Hongbin asked him. “I see death, and murder, and rape. The deep ocean was a vacation for me, and I almost drowned. Can you imagine something happening to my physical body when I’m in the middle of a warzone during one of my projections? I could actually die.”

 

His breath sped up even more and both Taekwoon and Hakyeon tried to get Hongbin to breathe normally, taking deep calming breaths and counting together, trying to get Hongbin to follow along. They were somewhat successful.

 

When Hongbin was finally asleep on Hakyeon’s bed, under the covers and still shaking slightly, Taekwoon and Hakyeon looked at each other and gave a small smile, trying to lend support.

 

“Is Hongbin okay?” Jaehwan asked sleepily from the corner, head lifted slightly as he stared at where Hakyeon and Taekwoon were standing.

 

“He’s okay, Jaehwan-ie,” Hakyeon said in as calm a voice as possible. “He just had a small panic attack. Go back to sleep.”

 

After several more minutes had passed, Taekwoon and Hakyeon had finally relaxed, releasing breaths they didn’t even realize they were holding.

 

“Can I hug you?” Hakyeon asked in a small voice, already stepping closer to where Taekwoon was standing. Taekwoon hesitated for a moment, judging Hakyeon’s emotional state, before he nodded.

 

“Yeah.”

 

The two friends hugged for several minutes, crying silent tears into the other’s shoulder, both in worry of Hongbin and the relief that came from finally telling someone their long-kept secret.


	2. Tension

“What happened?” Wonshik murmured to Hongbin several days later, when everyone else had gone to bed. Hongbin was up late, sitting on the couch and trying to do anything to not fall asleep. Wonshik had just come in, his eyes carrying a gaze that didn’t seem to quite focus on anything in the room, until it zoomed in on Hongbin. But that was normal for him. Hongbin had long suspected that there was something wrong with Wonshik’s eyes, but he didn’t dare bring it up with him. Wonshik could avoid that topic quite easily.

“What do you mean?” Hongbin asked back, just as quiet as Wonshik’s question had been. Wonshik’s eyes were wide as they stared into Hongbin’s, his facial expressions concealed, but he exuded a calming presence. 

“Something’s changed, between you and the oldest hyungs. But it’s effecting you more,” Hongbin started chewing on his lip at the observation, “and I want to know what it is.”

Hongbin was silent. He and Wonshik had been friends since before debut. Ever since Wonshik joined Jellyfish, they were never separated. They told each other things and talked about things that they didn’t dare bring up with the older members, and wouldn’t even dream of bringing up to Hyuk. They had a bond, and the only secret Hongbin kept from him, was the one Wonshik was asking for.

“I-” Hongbin started after several more moments of silence before cutting himself off. “I can’t tell you. I’m sorry, Wonshik.”

Wonshik’s eyes had glazed over slightly as he seemed to stare at something that wasn’t there. Hongbin had seen this look too many times to count, so he just kept silent, waiting for Wonshik to focus again. When he did, and the far-away look in his eyes returned to normal, he just nodded once and reached over to pat Hongbin on the arm.

“Okay,” he said before standing up, making sure his gaze didn’t leave Hongbin’s face. “But just so you know, something did change between you three, and I might be the only one who noticed, but they’re worried about you. And extremely tense. And you’re frightened of something, and I think they know that. So, just, please talk to them. To ease my mind as well as your own.”

Wonshik was still staring at him, but Hongbin wasn’t staring back, his fists had curled up on his legs, and they didn’t seem to want to unfurl.

“When did you get so perceptive?” Hongbin asked, murmuring toward his fists.

“I’m not,” Wonshik said, his tone firm, and it sounded strange to Hongbin’s ears. He looked up from his hands and saw Wonshik still staring at his face, but his eyes were vacant again, staring at something that wasn’t there. “It’s just… you’re different. And I don’t think you realize that, but the winds have shifted and your tune is changing. I don’t care that you’re keeping secrets, but just… don’t let what you’re keeping inside effect you. You’re stronger than that.”

Wonshik’s speech seemed off to Hongbin, like he was supposed to catch something, focus on a certain phrase or word that would give a hint about what Wonshik knew, or what he could sense, but he just didn’t know what it was. He talked as flowery as ever, working with his words to both explain and calm, as he usually did, and Hongbin couldn’t find any fault in that, anything that was different from the norm.

“I’m sorry,” Hongbin whispered, staring at Wonshik’s still unfocused eyes. But Wonshik just smiled at him and shook his head.

“Don’t be sorry. Some secrets are better kept close, where they can’t hurt anyone.” Hongbin sucked in a quick breath at that, slightly startled by Wonshik’s words. “Besides, I trust you.”

And Hongbin didn’t know what to say to that.

\--

There were two more days of tense smiles and trying to convey emotions with eyes, and by then even Jaehwan and Hyuk had noticed something was off. Jaehwan became a comforting presence to them all, something about just being beside him, sitting with him and playing with his hair, or just playing with him, watching him bounce around was calming, releasing the tension that Hongbin had felt in his shoulders for a week.

Where Jaehwan was comforting in his almost silence, Hyuk was comforting in the way he spoke about anything, bringing up obscure scientific theories and forcing the members to debate on the existence of alternate realities, or the way the stars affect who someone is as a person. It made the members actually talk to each other in a controlled way, avoiding the topic of actual tension.

“I mean, people have always debated the multiverse, whether alternate realities exist or not, and it’s almost impossible to test right now because we can only see 4 dimensions, well, three plus time, and for it to work out we’d need at least 11, which is impossible right now. But, because the universe is constantly expanding, universes expand into other universes which expand into other universes, and these universes could have very different rules and expectations than ours-”

“What are you even talking about?” Hongbin asked, looking at the faces of the others in the room. Everyone was staring at Hyuk with their mouths slightly open, not entirely comprehending what he was saying. Hyuk just glanced at their faces and sighed.

“Do none of you understand the basics behind alternate realities, universes, and string theory?” he asked. They just shrugged. Hakyeon held up his finger and thumb, showing that he understood a little.

“I mean, I read a lot of sci-fi,” Hakyeon said, wiping his palms lightly on his jeans as he looked at everyone. “String theory, as a basic explanation, is that every particle in the world is like a one dimensional string that forms a circle by connecting the ends. They vibrate, and this accounts for gravity. Through movement, the string also has its own dimension within the circle. Something like that, right?”

Taekwoon and Wonshik were shaking their heads, not quite understanding, but Jaehwan seemed to get what Hakyeon was saying and was nodding while he scratched the side of his nose.

“It’s kind of like that,” Hyuk said. “But it’s easier to think of it like bubbles. Each universe is on the skin of a bubble, and many bubbles exist in this thing called hyperspace. When bubbles collide, and then split and reform, this is what’s called a big bang. That’s how our universe was created.”

“Where do you even learn this stuff?” Hongbin asked, looking at Hyuk with wide eyes. “I mean, you’re studying kpop at university. And you’re rarely on the computer except to play games.”

“You’re one to talk about playing games,” Hyuk snarked back before shrugging. “I read a lot about science. I’ve learned some things over the years.”

Taekwoon felt the guilt rolling off of Hyuk as strongly, as if he was slapped in the face. He took a deep breath to calm himself, to get in touch with his own emotions and not be overwhelmed with what Hyuk was feeling. Besides, what Hyuk was feeling didn’t make any sense. He shouldn’t have to feel guilty for knowing a lot about science, for being interested in something.

Wonshik was also looking at Hyuk, but his eyes were once again unfocused, not quite seeing him, instead seeing through something that didn’t seem to be there. “You’ll tell us one day,” Wonshik said as he stood up, dragging a hand slowly through Hyuk’s hair. “Now, I’m going to go lie down. Excuse me.”

Everyone watched Wonshik go. It wasn’t unusual for him to leave when he had something to work on, or when Hakyeon forced him to get some sleep, but his eyes were unfocused and he stumbled slightly as he bumped into a wall on his way out of the room. They sat in silence until the door to his and Hyuk’s room closed.

“Is anyone going to talk to him about what’s wrong?” Jaehwan asked, looking around at everyone, “Because all of you have been strange recently, and I’m not sure if I should trust you to confront him, or if I should do it myself.”

“His blankness has been getting worse,” Hongbin said quietly, half-hoping that no one would hear him, but Jaehwan nodded, scratching slightly at his arm.

“He used to only be like this occasionally, but more often than not nowadays, he’s staring at nothing,” Jaehwan said, making sure to catch everyone’s eyes so that they knew he was serious. “I would think it’s a drug problem, but we are with him constantly and he wouldn’t jeopardize the group like that. What I want to know,” he said, pointing a finger at Hakyeon, “is why you haven’t done anything yet.”

Hakyeon winced slightly, but he sent out a calm wave to those sitting in the room still. Taekwoon felt the change of atmosphere while he watched the tension leak out of Jaehwan’s shoulders. Hongbin glared at Hakyeon when he noticed the change.

“I’ve just been… busy with my own problems recently,” Hakyeon said. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

“No,” Jaehwan said, quieter than it would have been without Hakyeon’s calming effect, but still a little louder than a normal speaking voice. “What you need to do is hash out whatever the fuck is happening between you, Taekwoon-hyung, and Hongbin. Because it’s gone on for way too long and I’m tired of it. Get your shit together, then talk to Wonshik, then hold a group meeting, because we don’t keep secrets. Especially when I can tell it’s something big.”

“Jaehwan-ah,” Hakyeon said softly, giving him a sad smile, “I don’t think I can do that.”

“You can. It’s easy. Now, I’m going to bed, Hyuk is going to make sure Wonshik’s alright, and then this will all be worked out tomorrow. Okay? Come on, Hyukie,” Jaehwan said, holding out a hand. Hyuk glanced at the three still sitting as they walked out of the room, giving them a tight smile.

As soon as they were out of the room, Hakyeon turned to Hongbin and Taekwoon before quickly saying “We can’t tell them.”

Taekwoon flinched slightly at the words, bringing a knee up to his chest and hugging it tightly.

“We have to,” Hongbin said with finality, cutting Hakyeon off as he opened his mouth to speak again. “As Jaehwan-hyung said, we don’t keep secrets.”

“Hongbin, what the hell do we say? Oh, hi you three, yeah, we’ve been hiding the fact that we have powers from you for a while and sorry, but we can’t show you because none of them manifest themselves physically? They would never believe us!” Hakyeon was getting slightly hysterical, which was taking a toll on Taekwoon.

Taekwoon reached out and grabbed Hakyeon’s ankle, silencing him. “You need to calm down, Hakyeon. I can’t think when your emotions are this loud.”

“We need to tell them,” Hongbin said. “I’ve been slowly losing my mind this past week. I literally feel like I’m about to explode, that something is going to happen soon. I just,” he choked back tears, “I can’t hide this… this fear. You guys know, but it isn’t enough. I almost drowned the other night. I almost died, and I can’t just… if something happens, they should at least know the truth,” Hongbin pleaded. “Please.”

Taekwoon took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before making a decision. 

“I agree with Hongbin,” he said softly, turning to Hakyeon. “Besides, everyone’s been acting strange recently. If we tell our secrets, hopefully they’ll tell theirs. Hyuk-ie is… hiding something. He felt guilty when he said he likes science. He was overwhelmed with guilt, so much it hurt.”

“Wonshik too,” Hongbin said, meeting Hakyeon’s eyes. “Wonshik’s been acting strange, but I think it’s something important. I had a conversation with him a couple days ago and something he was saying seemed… pivotal. Like he knew too much.”

“You actually think we should do this?” Hakyeon asked them, meeting their eyes, seeing the conviction in them. “You think this is a good idea?”

“Hakyeon,” Taekwoon whispered. “We have to. I’m sick of secrets. Telling you two was like releasing a burden. Think about if we all knew. Don’t you want to be free?” he asked, looking up with pleading eyes.

“Freedom,” Hakyeon said, sliding his eyes to look at the ceiling. “That would be nice.” He took a deep breath through his nose before releasing it, once again staring at the other two. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

\--

Later that night, Hakyeon was woken up by someone shaking his shoulder and panicked breathing. He groaned slightly as he opened his eyes, blearily taking in Hongbin’s shaken form.

“Hyung, please, I need help.”

“What’s wrong?” Hakyeon asked as he sat up, squinting through the darkness and trying to see Hongbin clearer. When he finally noticed, he gasped. “Hongbin,” he said as he stood up, gripping his arms tightly as he peered at the blotches on his pajamas. “Hongbin-”

“It’s not my blood,” Hongbin whispered, panicked as he tried to take deep breaths, but kept failing. “It’s not my blood. It’s not my blood.”

“Okay. Okay. Shh,” Hakyeon said as he hugged Hongbin, reaching a hand to his head to comb through his hair. “It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re going to be fine.”

“Hyung, I can’t… I can’t-”

“It’s okay, Hongbin. It’s okay. Hyung will fix this.”

They stood hugging for several minutes while Hakyeon sent Hongbin calming waves through his body to help him breathe. When Hongbin was finally able to breathe by himself and wasn’t shaking as much, he let go.

“Why don’t you get in the shower?” Hakyeon asked, rubbing a hand on Hongbin’s back in small circles. “I’m going to wash your clothes. Can you do that for me?”

Hongbin nodded and they walked to the bathroom, Hakyeon waiting until Hongbin passed him his pajamas through the door, then walked back to Hongbin’s bed. Noticing dark stains on the blankets he took those off the bed and brought them, as well as the pajamas, over to the washing machine.

Once he had pre-treated the blood and the laundry was in the washer, he sank down to the floor, his face burrowing into his knees and he cried himself to sleep, lulled by the rumbling of the washing machine against his trembling back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Next chapter is going to be "the talk." What do you think is going on with Wonshik? Is Hongbin okay? Any guesses on RaHyuKen's powers? (spoiler, they do have powers) Next chapter will be up this weekend.


	3. Revelations

Hakyeon awoke to Taekwoon shaking his shoulder, hand gentle as he knelt down to be at his level.

“I hung up the sheets and clothes,” Taekwoon said, looking at Hakyeon closely. “I tried to wake you up earlier, because no one should sleep sitting like you were, but you wouldn’t wake.”

Hakyeon just nodded and grabbed Taekwoon’s hand to pull himself up, stumbling slightly at the change in altitude, his vision going black for a moment.

“Are you okay?” Taekwoon asked, gripping Hakyeon’s arms tightly. Hakyeon nodded, running a hand through his disheveled hair to try and put it back in order.

“Hongbin had another dream, or whatever they are, last night. I don’t know exactly what happened, but he woke up with blood all over him. He assured me it wasn’t his,” Hakyeon said quickly when he noticed the look in Taekwoon’s eyes, “but something bad must have happened. I… don’t think he’s okay.”

Taekwoon stared at Hakyeon’s eyes for a while longer, feeling the worry coming off of Hakyeon’s body, but just nodded.

“Okay. That’s… fine. We’ll figure this out.” They were silent for a few moments, just looking at each other, each with heavy bags under their eyes and quivering lips. “When will we tell everyone?”

Hakyeon let out a deep sigh and shrugged his shoulders. “We all need to make an appearance at the company today. I have a schedule I need to leave for in a few hours, but I should be done around 5 or 6. I’ll send out a message when I finish and tell everyone to finish up and be home soon for dinner. We can have chicken, or something.”

“So, in 12 hours, or so.”

Hakyeon groaned and looked around for his phone. “Is it really that early?” he asked when he couldn’t find it. At Taekwoon’s nod he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. I’m going to go shower. Just… Thank you, Taekwoon.” He walked quickly from the room, leaving Taekwoon to stare at his retreating back.

\--

They sat silently around the table, eating the chicken Hakyeon had picked up for them on the way back from his schedule. Hyuk ate the most, not worried about the conversation to come, while Hongbin and Hakyeon barely picked at their food. The tension at the table was palpable, and it was making everyone uncomfortable.

“Hey, I…” Hakyeon trailed off, unsure of how to begin, but he successfully garnered the attention of everyone at the table, so he just swallowed his fear and continued on. “You have probably noticed that there has been some… tension the past week or so. I think we all need to have a chat. About what’s been bothering us. Now, this is mainly about what Taekwoon, Hongbin, and I have to say, but I’ve noticed all 6 of us have been off, so just… we’re trusting you with our secrets, so you should trust us. Understand?”

There were nods around the table, so Hakyeon just glanced toward Hongbin and nodded slowly. Hongbin took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Almost two weeks ago, I woke up from a dream. I was floating in the water, and it was peaceful, not a bad dream, but I woke up coughing up the ocean. Don’t interrupt. Please,” he said, holding up a hand when he noticed Jaehwan open his mouth. “Somehow, part of what I was dreaming, whatever it was, traveled back with me. I’ve been travelling over the astral plain for almost my entire life, but this was different. It was real. And last night I… woke up, covered in blood. It wasn’t mine.”

Hongbin didn’t look up, not wanting to see the faces of his friends staring at him in revulsion, or that they thought he was crazy. But he looked up when Wonshik spoke.

“What can I do to help?”

Wonshik’s eyes were focused, locked on to Hongbin, without a single doubt clouding him that Hongbin could sense. He slowly glanced toward Taekwoon, who gave him a nod, silently telling Hongbin that Wonshik was alright.

“I…” Hongbin trailed off, not sure how to answer the question. “You believe me?”

Wonshik nodded, his palms flat on the table as he stared at Hongbin intently. Hongbin broke his gaze, not used to the intensity, and glanced at Jaehwan and Hyuk. Jaehwan was shrugging and his lips had started to form into a smile as he leaned forward. Hyuk was staring at the table, muttering to himself while tapping his fingers. Neither of them looked as if they thought he was crazy.

“Why?” Hongbin asked. If someone had told him they had magic, or whatever this was, he would have never believed them.

“I trust you,” Wonshik said, “besides, it’s not as if you are the only one.”

Hakyeon whipped his head around to stare at Wonshik. “You know about me and Taekwoon?” he asked, surprised. 

Wonshik nodded slowly. “Well, I knew about you, but that wasn’t who I was talking about.”

Jaehwan laughed slightly, his smile wider than ever as he looked at Wonshik. “You too, huh?” he asked. When Wonshik nodded Jaehwan reached over for a high-five. “Same.”

“Do you know how unreal this is?” Hyuk asked, causing everyone to look over at him in apprehension. “In all my life, I don’t think I’ve come across another person with superpowers, or magic, or whatever this is, but here we are, 6 of us all gathered together. The probability is infinitesimal.” 

“You…” Hongbin said, trailing off. “What the hell is going on? How could this even happen?” He was starting to panic. Throughout this entire day, from when he woke up with blood on him, through practice, through working out, he was worried about what would become of the team and their relationships when they heard the truth. Never in his life did he imagine they would all be the same. He started to hyperventilate before he felt himself fall to an unnatural level of calm.

“Stop manipulating my emotions!” Hongbin said, whipping around to glare at Hakyeon, who just smiled and held up his hands.

“Manipulating is such a strong word,” he said before trying to continue, but he was cut off by Hongbin.

“And yet, that’s exactly what you do. All the time.”

The two of them stared at each other for several moments, neither wanting to give up, before Hyuk cut in.

“So, Hongbin-hyung travels astrally, and actually, and Hakyeon-hyung is an empath of sorts. What about the rest of you? I’m assuming Taekwoon-hyung is an empath as well, because of his aversion to public space.”

Taekwoon nodded once everyone looked at him. “Yeah,” he said, “I feel emotions of the people around me. Hyuk, you…” he trailed off questioningly, looking at the youngest who was just shifting in his seat.

“Yeah, it’s kind of difficult to explain,” Hyuk said, looking around to make sure everyone was paying attention. The hyungs always paid attention to what he said, though, so just looking was unnecessary. “It didn’t even register to me that what I was doing was something supernatural, and I’m still not convinced that it is. But, I remember things. Everything I read, I understand it completely. When learning something, it doesn’t take me any time at all to ingrain it in my mind and be able to put it into practice. It happened with all my schoolwork, and dancing as well. I just… know things. Somehow.”

Something clicked for Taekwoon with that. “That’s why you know so much about science and the theories behind alternate realities, isn’t it?”

Hyuk nodded. “Science is fascinating and a field that is constantly expanding with many new discoveries. It’s wild how much is still unknown. I think what attracts me to it is that so much of science is untestable, or people have theories but we don’t yet have the technology to see if what they are saying is accurate or not. Physics, engineering, and astronomy are my favorites.” He got a wistful look on his face, staring slightly above everyone’s heads.

“So why are you an idol then?” Hongbin asked, his arms crossed at his chest. “If you like science so much, why aren’t you studying that instead of working full time as a singer?”

Hyuk just shrugged. “Science is interesting, but it will always be there. I’m too young for anyone in the science community to take me seriously anyway. I became an idol to bide my time, make some money on my own before spending other people’s money to make discoveries about space, or whatever I decide to do.

“So this is all a joke for you then?” Hongbin asked, furious at what Hyuk said. Hongbin had longed for years to have a beautiful singing voice; he worked hard and fought to get where he was, doubting if he could even make it as an idol. But Hyuk was doing all of this for fun, as something to bide his time with before he got to a good enough age to get a start in the science community.

“No,” Hyuk said firmly, voice trying to show the members his sincerity. “It might have started off as just something to do, that I wanted but wasn’t serious about, but it has become something I strive to do my best in, and strive to succeed in. There is no turning back now. I don’t know where we’ll be in 10 years, but if we are all doing our own thing, occasionally putting out group stuff, or… I just don’t know. When this has all ended, that’s when I’ll become a scientist. I’ve grown uselessly attached to all 5 of you.”

“That’s a good plan, Hyuk-ie,” Hakyeon said, giving him a small smile. Hyuk just smiled back before glancing toward the two who had yet to reveal their powers.

“Alright,” Jaehwan said. “I guess I’m next.”

“You know,” Hyuk said, squinting his eyes at Jaehwan. “Everyone else had given hints, or we could tell something was wrong with them. I wasn’t surprised at all to hear that Wonshik-hyung had powers, or Hongbin-hyung. But you haven’t given anything away. You’ve been the same as always.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m in total control of my own abilities?” Jaehwan asked, raising an eyebrow at the others. Hongbin stuck out his tongue in response, to which Jaehwan only laughed. “Kidding. I mimic animals.”

There were a few moments of silence before Hakyeon slowly nodded. “We know you do. We’ve heard you. And?”

Jaehwan just looked around at their puzzled faces before shaking his head and mumbling something under his breath. “You don’t get it. Sorry. I can actually mimic the abilities of animals. When I was younger, I liked panthers, and I used to jump like them, like, all the time. I didn’t know that people couldn’t do that. And then I could do other things too. I once had a test the next day and I hadn’t studied at all, so I wished myself a brain like an octopus and quickly learned what I needed to for the test. I aced it, by the way,” he said, looking at their faces.

“When people think of animals, they always think of the warm bloods, common animals like dogs and cats, or things you see at the zoo. No one ever remembers the cold blooded animals, or animals who live under the sea. And that’s kind of disappointing, because that’s where all the interesting abilities show up. I can blend in to my surroundings like a chameleon, or reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis. I can even take on the characteristics of a sea turtle or clam, and live much longer than a human can. And I will. I’ve done all my research and am constantly looking for ways to improve my body, or animals that can help me achieve a certain goal.”

While Jaehwan was talking, the members were just staring at him. Their mouths had parted slightly as they took in what he was saying, trying to understand his ability.

“How long have you been planning out your life?” Hakyeon asked, curious. From what Jaehwan was saying, it sounded like he had figured out how his life was going to go without having lived it yet.

“Once I figured out the extent of my abilities,” Jaehwan said, catching Hakyeon’s eyes, “or rather, lack of limits, I did as much research on animals as I could. And the more I read, the more convinced I was that I could use their abilities to improve my life long-term, rather than for short-term benefits. All I need to do is a little research on how something works within the animal’s body, and then wish to mimic it with my own.” His eyes were shining, palms flat on the table, bracing against his excitement. “I’m going to live a long time, guys. And I cannot wait.”

Jaehwan was smiling broadly at the end of his speech, eyes glittering with ambition. Taekwoon could feel the overpowering sense of achievement and pride coming from his body as he sat, watching the other members’ reaction to what he said. 

“Won’t you get lonely?” Hakyeon asked hesitantly, looking at Jaehwan with sad eyes. “Living a long time, seeing your friends die, won’t you be lonely at the end?”

Jaehwan just shrugged, looking Hakyeon in the eye. “Who knows. Besides, some animals are solitary creatures, I could just take that characteristic. Or just make new friends. Sure, I’ll be sad when the people I love are gone, but why limit myself to living a normal, mortal lifespan when I can do, and be so much more?”

No one had anything to say to that except Wonshik, who just mumbled to himself.

“Jealous,” he said, staring at his hands.

“So your power isn’t being immortal?” Jaehwan asked, looking at Wonshik. “I guess I assumed because you talk about it so often, living forever and creating a beautiful world with the people you love.”

Wonshik just shook his head, still staring at his hands. “I see music.”

There was a pause.

“What, exactly, does that entail?” Hyuk asked slowly, trying to wrap his mind around that statement.

“It means,” Wonshik said, staring at something above their heads, “that I see people’s music floating around them, and in them. The song that makes them who they are. With changes of moods, songs change. Everyone has something different, something just inherently them.”

Something clicked for Hongbin. “Is that why you are always staring off into space, not looking directly at people? You are trying to avoid understanding their music?”

It made sense, that Wonshik was avoiding people when the music got too overwhelming, but he just shook his head slightly at Hongbin’s question. 

“Not… exactly,” Wonshik said, scratching at his arm and still not looking at anyone. “I used to write down everyone’s music, make lines of music that represent different people, but the more I work, the stronger I become.” He stopped talking for a few seconds and twitched as he tried to gather his thoughts. “It used to be just humans and animals that had music, but… I don’t know. Now I see music all around me. Literally everything has music. Trees, cars, rocks. The air. I’m, I don’t know. I can’t focus on anything, or I focus on everything. I know your music so intimately, so you five are comfortable, but everything else is a struggle. I’m going insane more and more each day.”

Hongbin reached a hand over and gripped Wonshik’s knee, trying to give him comfort. Everyone else’s powers had settled and they were comfortable with how to use them, but the two of them were struggling, slowly going out of their mind at the changes that were happening to them.

“Everyone, it’s going to be alright,” Hakyeon said, putting will into his words, trying to make everyone believe that everything would be fine. “We’re going to stick together as a group, no matter what. When two of our members are hurting, we need to do what we can to help them.”

Hongbin saw Hyuk and Jaehwan nod, determined to help. Hyuk already seemed to be calculating something as his eyes darted back and forth for something only he could see. It looked like he was trying to figure something out that he didn’t quite understand yet. 

“I’m not sure what you can do,” Wonshik said, “as even I don’t understand what’s happening to me. What can you do that I can’t?” he asked. His words were spat out a little forcefully, but Hakyeon knew he didn’t mean it in that way.

“First of all,” Hakyeon said, “I’m going to give everyone a hug.” He stood from the table and walked to Wonshik first, giving him a long hug, breathing in the scent of his hair. He moved onto Hongbin next, pulling him tightly against his chest, heart breaking when he heard him sniffle into his shoulder. Hyuk and Jaehwan got similar hugs, but Hakyeon stopped in front of Taekwoon and waited for him to give permission before hugging him as well. The two eldest clung to each other for a short time, trying to regulate their feelings of helplessness before turning back to the group.

“I’m going to help all of you,” Hakyeon said, staring at their eyes, his own blazing. “I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Do you like the powers? Whose power would you want the most? This will be uploaded half way through the week, probably Wednesday night. Please leave a comment, or you can find me on tumblr at tuberc-leo-fics or leothevixxn.


	4. The Mind of God

They were making a comeback soon, so the six of them spent a lot of time in the practice room, trying to perfect their dancing, or work on their individual singing parts. The atmosphere between them was still tense, but in a different way. Everyone was worried about Hongbin and Wonshik, keeping an eye out for them to make sure they didn’t collapse in the middle of practice as both of them had been getting little to no sleep. Hongbin kept waking up choking on water, covered in blood, or unable to breathe due to lack of oxygen. Each astral projection left him more and more tired, his once vibrant eyes dimming down to nothing.

Wonshik was the same, barely there when dancing, seeming to focus only when the members were talking to him, otherwise he was focused on music no one else could see. Hakyeon told the members to stick close to him, give him something familiar to focus on, something that made him comfortable. Wonshik hadn’t noticed, but he was always with someone except when he was in the shower.

“Hyung,” Hongbin said quietly as he pulled Hakyeon aside, latching onto his forearm. “I don’t think I can do this.”

Hakyeon nodded a little, looking into Hongbin’s eyes to try and read his mental state. “I know, Hongbin, but you need to. I can’t just tell the company to give you a break without a reason, and I don’t think they’ll believe the real reason.”

“Hyung, you don’t understand,” Hongbin said, his voice breaking. “I don’t know if I’m even travelling on earth anymore. Hyuk was talking about black holes yesterday during break, and I’m pretty sure I was in space last night, being pulled into the nothingness of a black hole. I couldn’t breathe.” His breath was coming quicker as he started to panic, one of his constant states as of late. He often had to seek out Hakyeon to artificially calm him down, as he couldn’t control his own emotions.

“It’s going to be okay, Hongbin,” Hakyeon said, taking his hands into his own, linking their fingers together. “We’ll start trying different things tonight to get you a good night’s sleep. I think your lack of real sleep at night is starting to affect your waking mindset. You’re exhausted. You and Wonshik both. And the stress of our comeback isn’t helping.”

Hongbin just leaned his head onto Hakyeon’s shoulder and closed his eyes, putting an arm around his waist to stabilize himself.

“I just want this to be over,” Hongbin said. “I don’t care if I lose this power forever, I just want to sleep, to feel like myself again.”

Hakyeon didn’t respond and just reached a hand up to card his fingers through Hongbin’s hair, his eyes coming up to meet the worried eyes of his members. He gave them a tight smile and a nod, his eyes telling them to get back to work.

\--

A few days later, one of the managers came into the practice room with a large box, which he dropped on the floor by the door. The box clanged a little when it hit the ground, making the members look over from where they were monitoring their dance.

“Hyuk, this is for you. I’m pretty sure it’s from your dad,” the manager said before walking out the door again. The members glanced at Hyuk as he stood up, a wide grin on his face as he went over to the box and opened it.

“Alright!” Hyuk exclaimed as he took out several of the items from the box, examining each one carefully as he laid them on the floor.

“What, exactly, is this?” Jaehwan asked, wandering over and picking up something that looked like a metal pen with a plastic handle. He turned it in his hand and tried to figure it out before Hyuk grabbed it and put it back in the box.

“It’s a soldering iron,” Hyuk said, pushing the box back toward the door. “I asked my dad to send me one. He has, like, fifteen of them, so it was just easier than buying a new one.”

The members exchanged glances. “But why would you need one?” Jaehwan asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Clearly, I want to solder something. My dad sent some wires and small sheets of metal as well, so I won’t have to go and buy any of it in the store. The benefits of having a dad who makes furniture.”

“You’re really not answering my question,” Jaehwan said, raising an eyebrow at Hyuk who just smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, I have an idea that might help Wonshik-hyung with his problem. I don’t know if it will work yet, but I’m going to try out making something with the soldering materials, and if that works, making a larger model at some welding factory, if they will let me. But for now,” Hyuk said, gesturing to the box by the door, “this is all I have to work with.”

Wonshik looked up at Hyuk and licked his lips a few times to try and bring moisture back into his mouth. “What will you make?” he asked, his eyes trying to focus on Hyuk, but they slid back to the box quickly, as if he could see right through it.

“I’m going to try and make a machine that can sense what you can see, can play the music out loud for everyone to hear instead of for just you.”

The members exchanged glances over Hyuk’s head as he dug his hand through the box, looking at what his dad sent him.

“Can you… I mean is it actually possible to do that?” Hakyeon asked, looking at Hyuk like he had never seen him before. 

“Do you not trust me?” Hyuk asked with a smirk, daring Hakyeon to answer, but knowing that Hakyeon loved him too much to say anything about his doubts. He was, after all, a child that Hakyeon had practically raised himself, even if Hyuk would disagree on that point.

Hakyeon shook his head. “No, I trust you. Just… make sure it doesn’t cut into practice time, okay? And be careful.”

Hyuk nodded his head and stood up, pushing the box to the side of the room, intent to bring it back to their dorm on his way out.

\--

“Okay, everyone,” Hyuk said two weeks later as they sat down to eat, exhausted from their comeback and constant schedules. He had told everyone that they were eating together that night, as they needed to talk. No one was in a pleasant mood, all cranky and tired. “I think I figured out what Wonshik-hyung was seeing. As you know, I’ve been tinkering with-”

“I’m sorry, what?” Jaehwan asked, putting up a hand to stop Hyuk from speaking more. “You did what?”

Hyuk just looked around the table and rolled his eyes at the slack jaws of his hyungs. “I’m pretty sure I figured out what was going on with Wonshik-hyung. Have you ever heard of cosmic music?” Seeing them shake their heads, Hyuk sighed and said under his breath “this is going to be a long explanation.”

“Do you remember when we were talking about string theory weeks ago?” He waited for the nods of acknowledgement. “Well, there is a theory that the universe is like a bubble. There are an infinite number of universes out there, each one different from the next, and they all float around in an 11 dimension hyperspace. Our universe was formed when two bubbles collided or split apart, commonly thought of as the big bang.”

He looked around the room and most of them had stopped eating and were nodding along, perhaps not understanding his explanation so far, but following well enough.

“So this multiverse theory also says that these bubbles, or p-branes, vibrate, creating the music of the universe, which resonates through 11 dimensional hyperspace.”

Hongbin had narrowed his eyes, glancing at Hyuk. “And you think Wonshik can sense this music? See it?”

Hyuk nodded and glanced at Wonshik. “It would make sense that he’s seeing music that others can’t, and it goes beyond our three dimensions, and possible even the fourth dimension, he’s literally seeing subatomic particles. Plus,” he glanced at Wonshik again, “we were doing some experiments and...”

“He created instruments that echoed what I saw, in music form,” Wonshik cut in, glancing around the table, his eyes alert.

“I don’t think you guys understand how big this is,” Hyuk said, voice going high and squeaky, starting to freak out. “I’ve been vibrating with energy all day. Wonshik-hyung is literally seeing the Mind of God.”

“Sanghyuk,” Taekwoon said, laying a hand on the youngest’s arm. “You need to calm yourself. You’re hyperventilating.”

Hyuk turned his head. “I really can’t. You guys don’t understand. The Mind of God is the theory of everything, and cosmic music proves that there is something to this theory, that these vibrations and music provide an explanation for everything existing, just like what Einstein was searching for.”

Hakyeon scratched at his chest slightly before glancing around the table and seeing the slightly glazed looks of the other members. “Can you explain what you mean, Hyukie?”

Hyuk sighed, but continued. “Einstein spent a lot of his life searching for the Mind of God, a theory that would connect all physical laws, and he failed. But with string theory and with cosmic music of subatomic particles, we are so close to unlocking the mysteries of not only this universe, but every other universe that exists and we cannot reach. And with Wonshik-hyung being able to see them, we’re so close to the Mind of God.”

There was a gleam in his eyes as he looked around the table, catching gazes and staring at his members, trying to make them see how important what he discovered was.

“The most important part,” Wonshik piped up in support of Hyuk, “is that Hyuk now has the capability to sense these vibrations and cosmic music, something that no other scientist has been able to do.”

Hyuk just smirked at them and shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m a genius.”

\--

“Do you think you’ll be able to help me too?” Hongbin asked Hyuk when they were alone later that night, both taking a break from playing a game. The light of the computers reflected off the bags under Hongbin’s eyes, more prominent than ever. He was exhausted from lack of sleep and travelling and schedules.

Hyuk looked at him, staring him in the eyes, looking at his haunted gaze from multiple events that could never be unseen. “I’ll try, but Hyung, you need to help me. I know you are keeping things from us, trying to shield how bad this is for you, but a scientist needs all the data, not just assumed facts and half-truths. I need to know exactly where you have been travelling.”

Hongbin nodded his head and sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve seen the ocean, drifted through the deep sea and woke up choking on water. I’ve seen war, had my face and clothes splattered with blood as someone was shot from a distance. I’ve floated through space, seen several stars go out and woken up with a large pressure in my brain, unable to breathe. I’ve-”

“Hold on,” Hyuk said, raising a hand to motion Hongbin to stop talking. “You saw several stars go out. Was it in the same dream, or travel or whatever?”

Hongbin nodded his head.

“And were you racing through space, or were you stationary when you saw this happen?” Hyuk asked, voice going high as he got excited.

“Nothing looked to be moving,” Hongbin said, “I’m pretty sure I was in one place. But things seemed to change around me slightly.”

Hyuk laughed and rubbed his nose slightly, mouth open and eyes crinkling.

“Hongbin-hyung,” Hyuk said, smiling at him, “The possibility of seeing two stars go out within a short time while staying in one spot is impossible. Well, not exactly impossible, but extremely improbable. Hyung, I’m pretty sure you travelled through space and time.”

Hongbin just sat there and raised an eyebrow, not as excited as Hyuk was for the revelation.

“And what does that mean for me?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well,” Hyuk said, “nothing. But maybe by understanding the science behind this, you could control it and stop travelling during the night. I need to do some research and brush up on my English; I might need to make a trip to New York to talk to an expert, but we’ll see what I can find out from papers.”

Hyuk continued mumbling to himself, listing names of articles and books he would need, completely ignoring Hongbin until he spoke up.

“And in the meantime, what about me?”

Hyuk glanced at Hongbin, realizing he was still there and shrugged. “Just keep doing what you are doing. But isn’t it cool? You might have actually travelled through time and space.”

Hongbin shook his head and wrapped his arms around his middle, giving himself comfort. 

“I don’t care about any of that,” he said. “I just want my life back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is where you can start to see some of the plot poke through, and with it the science stuff. What do you think? As always, you can leave a comment here or come find me on tumblr at leothevixxn or tuberc-leo-fics.


	5. Planck Energy

The next few weeks were filled with the straining performances that came with a comeback, trying to divert attention away from Hongbin and Wonshik, and the soft timbre of Hyuk’s voice as he talked for hours on end in English on the phone to people he was keeping a secret from the rest of the members. They tried not to let it bother them too much, but seeing the way Hyuk flitted between agitation and elation while talking was difficult with no context.

“I need to leave for a few hours, hyung,” Hyuk whispered to Hakyeon when they returned to their apartment after an interview. It was already 9pm and unless it was Wonshik on his way to the studio, Hakyeon kept a tight leash on the members when it started to get late, especially with an early morning wake up time the next day. 

Hakyeon sighed, rubbing at his temple, the stress of not only the day but the weeks since the revelation of his members’ troubles came out wearing down on him. “Can this not wait, Hyukie?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded slowly to himself when Hyuk shook his head, giving a quiet “no.”

“May I ask where you’re going?” Hakyeon asked, crossing his arms slightly, trying to look stern but not quite pulling it off.

Hyuk gave a small laugh as he reached a hand back to scratch slightly at his neck. “Um… I need to pick something up from the Brain Science Institute at KIST.”

Hakyeon paused for a second, trying to process the words. “What could you possibly be getting from the Korean Institute of Science and Technology? And for that matter, someone is letting you take something from their research lab?”

“Hyung,” Hyuk said, laying a hand on his arm, “it’s to help Hongbin-hyung. I talked to a contact there and it took me a week, but I finally convinced her to let me borrow an EEG to test the electrical activity of Hongbin-hyung’s brain while he is dreaming. Hopefully, looking at the results can help me determine how to help him.”

Hakyeon was silent for a moment, searching Hyuk’s eyes for something. “Are you sure you can help him?” he asked, trying not to get his hopes up, but starting to see that there was a possibility of him getting better.

Hyuk nodded, eyes strong and determined, shining with a passion he only seemed to get when working on something to do with science these days. “I can do it. I think… I really think we’ve stumbled onto something big here, hyung. It’s what scientists have only been theorizing about for one hundred years, with no way to test their theories. It’s… simultaneously exhilarating and mentally exhausting.”

Hakyeon gave him a sad smile and nodded, reaching out his hands to rub down Hyuk’s upper arms in a soothing matter.

“Let me get my coat,” Hakyeon said, glaring slightly when Hyuk started to open his mouth in protest. “I’ll help you carry.”

\--

“This feels weird,” Hongbin said when the final electrodes were pressed to his scalp, the multiple wires coming from his head making him look like some kind of cyborg, as Jaehwan had gleefully pointed out.

“I kind of wish we had used this look during Error. It’s hot!”

Jaehwan earned himself several slaps with that remark, but he only gave them a large pout before grinning, pleased with himself.

“I really don’t like all of you just staring at me,” Hongbin remarked, looking uncomfortable. “Can everyone but Hyukie please leave? I’m not here for your entertainment.”

“Hongbin, please,” Hakyeon said, reaching over to hold his hand, only to be shook off with a glare. He sighed.

“No, he’s right,” Hyuk said, glancing at the hyungs surrounding Hongbin’s bed. “I need you out of here, especially Hakyeon, as manipulating emotions when I’m trying to read the electrical happenings of a brain is not going to give me accurate results.”

Hakyeon pouted but nodded, grabbing Jaehwan by the wrist and pulling him away. Wonshik got up from the desk chair he had been perched on and went over to Hongbin, giving him a hug, careful to avoid the wires and electrodes hooked up to the computer. 

“Taekwoonie-hyung, you should stay,” Hyuk said before he could escape. “Having someone who can read emotions will actually be very helpful to go along with my readings. And you won’t be able to interfere, as long as you have no contact with Hongbin-hyung.”

Both Hongbin and Taekwoon were silent as they finished watching Hyuk set up the EEG until there was a scraggly line moving across the screen of the computer, measuring Hongbin’s brain activity.

“I’m honestly not sure if I’ll be able to sleep with you two in the room and this thing on my head,” Hongbin said, laying down on his bed, stretching out his legs, scratching at his stomach slightly. “I have enough trouble falling asleep as it is.”

“It’ll be fine,” Hyuk said, sharing a look with Taekwoon and rolling his eyes. There were too many drama queens among the members, and everyone but Wonshik had no trouble falling asleep at night. Hyuk was proved right when not even 5 minutes later, Hongbin’s EEG showed that he was no longer awake.

“He’s probably only in stage two of sleep right now,” Hyuk whispered to Taekwoon, who was just staring at Hongbin, trying to read his emotions. “The brain waves haven’t slowed down enough yet. You’ll definitely notice a difference when he reaches stage 3 and 4; the waves start to get big and slow. When he starts dreaming, it will go back to looking like he’s awake.”

They waited a while longer, neither one speaking as Hyuk just stared at the screen, looking for the moment the graph changed, and Taekwoon stared at Hongbin, trying to feel the same thing.

“Hey hyung, look at this,” Hyuk called softly, breaking the staring contest Taekwoon was having with Hongbin’s body. “The waves have finally… hold on, this shouldn’t be happening,” he interrupted himself, looking at the waves change after just a few seconds of slow, delta waves. “What is going on?”

Taekwoon glanced at the screen and saw the waves happening at a higher frequency, but also having a high amplitude. “What does that mean?”

Hyuk just stared for a minute, reading the line as it went by him, the amplitude increasing by the second.

“It’s… not something that should happen. See how the peaks keep getting higher and… well, disappearing now, I guess. It means that somehow, Hongbin-hyung is using a lot, and I mean a lot of energy, so much so that the EEG is not capable of reading how much. And it keeps climbing. I’m assuming he’s astrally projecting himself somewhere right now, and the energy required is astronomical.”

They both turned to look at Hongbin as he lay on the bed, not giving anything away.

“His mind feel tense, almost afraid,” Taekwoon said after a minute, catching Hyuk’s attention, who looked away from the chart.

“The EEG stopped working, it can’t read the energy in Hongbin-hyung’s brain right now.” There was a moment of silence as they observed Hongbin again, unsure of what would happen if they tried to wake him.

“Taekwoonie-hyung,” Hyuk started slowly, turning in his chair to try and catch his eye. “I have an absolutely crazy theory, and I can’t believe I’m even going to say this.” He waited for Taekwoon’s complete attention before continuing. “Among physicists and other scientists who study the theory of parallel universes, there is a thought that when enough planck energy is used, and when I say enough, I mean 10^19billion electron volts of planck energy, which is an extremely, extremely high number, then that is the moment when gravity itself starts to break down. And not even gravity, but space/time begins to fail and become unstable. With this amount of energy and the breakdown of space/time, it is possible that gateways to parallel universes can open.”

Hyuk said all of that in one breath, voice getting hysteric toward the end as he became excited about the idea. “Like hyung, I think Hongbin-hyung is actually utilizing planck energy, which is the energy of the big bang by the way, and is using it to travel through time and space. He was talking about floating in space and seeing stars go out, and with a breakdown of gravity and time/space, that is actually a possibility.”

Taekwoon nodded, feeling the hysteria in Hyuk being held back by excitement. He observed the younger boy for a few seconds before leaning over and hugging him, dragging a hand through his hair.

“You did good, Hyukie,” he said, hugging him just a bit tighter before letting go, noticing the slight tears in his eyes. 

“It’s just, hyung,” Hyuk said, swallowing a few times to get rid of the lump in his throat. “I can figure these things out, know what is happening to Wonshik-hyung and Hongbin-hyung, but that’s where it stops. I can’t fix their problem. The only thing I have done is advance my own knowledge of the world and parallel universe theories.”

“But still,” Taekwoon said, “You’ve done so much to help them already. You’ve been working harder than anyone to find a solution to Hongbin and Wonshik’s problem, and they really are greatful.”

Hyuk nodded, his chin drooping to his chest as he stared down at the floor. He always worked hard to improve on everything he did, even if he was able to pick something up naturally. He felt a big responsibility in the team to get things right and work harder than the others, which put a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He tried to do too much, and when something didn’t work out, he blamed himself.

“You should get some sleep, Hyuk,” Taekwoon said, reaching for his shoulders to push him out of the room. “You’ve worked hard today. You can tell everyone what you found out in the morning.”

Taekwoon’s eyes followed Hyuk until he was in his room and the door had closed between them.

\--

“What are you planning on doing?” Hongbin asked Hyuk as he sat at a table in their dorm, books and papers spread over the entire surface. They were done with promotions for their most recent comeback, which meant some of them were less busy than others. Hyuk took advantage of his “time off” by digging deeper into the theories of alternate universes. He also asked the company if he could take four days off in order to travel to the US, and while there he met with Dr. Kaku, one of the foremost experts in the field. 

“I don’t honestly know,” Hyuk said, rubbing at his temple, brow furrowed in pain. “I just want to understand everything I can. I’ve read and re-read everything on the subject, and I still don’t know what to do with the information.”

Hongbin sat on the other side of the table, across from Hyuk and just observed him as the maknae tortured himself trying to find a solution to Hongbin and Wonshik’s problem. He had been stressed for weeks, and the dark circles under his eyes were starting to look like Hongbin’s.

“Are you trying to actually open a door to another universe?” Hongbin asked curiously. “What are you planning on doing with all of this research?”

Hyuk stopped rubbing at his head and looked up, eyes wide.

“I… didn’t even consider that a possibility,” he said, hand coming up to rub at his nose slightly. “But now that you say it…” he trailed off, then began mumbling to himself.

After a few minutes, during which Hongbin had started playing around on his phone, Hyuk started to speak again. “Hongbin-hyung… we might be able to pull this off. We literally have all the pieces of the puzzle, we just need to put them together. Through Wonshik-hyung we have the ability to measure and see cosmic music, see how the bubble of this universe vibrates through interactions with other universes. Through you, we have planck energy that can break through time/space. If we could combine these two, we might actually be able to open a gateway to another universe!”

Hongbin just looked at Hyuk who had stood up at some point during his speech, his mouth open in wonder. He looked so passionate, the fire in his eyes more intense than any performance on stage.

“Can you do it?” Taekwoon asked from the doorway, startling the two at the table as the whipped around to stare at him. He had been drawn by the intense emotions coming from the two, and went to discover what was happening, catching most of Hyuk’s speech. “Can you do it, Hyukie?” he asked again, starting to walk toward the table.

“I-” Hyuk said, cutting himself off. He crossed his arms over his chest, almost hugging himself. He looked lost, face almost reverting back to when Taekwoon had first met him, as a kid of 17. He just looked so young.

“He can,” Hongbin said, coming around the table to put an arm around his shoulders. “There’s no one smarter than our Hyukie. If anyone can do it, he can.”

Hyuk didn’t smile at the compliment, but he nodded to himself, determination rising.

“I can do it,” he said, staring Taekwoon, and then Hongbin in the eyes. “I’m going to open a gateway to another universe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Only one more chapter everyone... I wonder what will happen :) Please leave a comment, or come find me on tumblr at tuberc-leo-fics or leothevixxn!


	6. Ends and Beginnings

“What are you going to do with the doorway to the other universe? Once it’s open what happens next?” Hakyeon asked, staring at the members as they sat around the table. It had been a few days since Hyuk announced he was going to do what no one had thought possible before, and there were still doubts going through everyone’s heads. “I mean, I’m in no way saying you shouldn’t do it, but what happens when it does open?”

 

Hyuk glanced at the other members who were looking anywhere but at him. Except Jaehwan who was bouncing up and down on his seat, a grin on his face as he stared at Hyuk.

 

“Look, hyung,” Hyuk started, running a hand through his hair. “This could take months to accomplish, maybe even years. My end goal is creating a rift so that we can tear into another universe. Whatever happens next is up to fate. Once all the science is done, isn’t that the only thing that’s left? Fate needs to intervene at some point.”

 

Hakyeon nodded slowly and was about to open his mouth when Jaehwan cut in. “Let’s go through.”

 

Hongbin let out a sharp laugh before cutting himself off, peering at Jaehwan’s face and realizing he was serious.

 

“Pardon?” Hakyeon asked. “I think I just heard you say that you want to go through to the other universe.”

 

All eyes were on Jaehwan now, just as he liked it. He shrugged.

 

“Look, guys, I’m bored and tired and want some excitement in my life. This whole process, figuring out what has been going on, sharing our deepest secrets, it’s been unimaginably fun. Maybe not for Binnie, but… what’s next? Do we just go back to our old lives and pretend none of this happened? Pretend we don’t have powers, or that we didn’t open up a gate to another universe?

 

“I’ve been thinking about it these past few days, and none of it makes sense. How did all six of us just happen to come together like this, having never met someone with powers before?” Jaehwan looked around the table, catching their eyes, making them focus on his words. “All of a sudden, the six of us are working together to travel to another universe. What possible purpose could all of this have had if we don’t follow through with what began so many months ago?”

 

“So it is fate,” Hakyeon said lowly, clenching his hands together on the table top. A shiver went down all six of their spines at the words, Hakyeon projecting more than he would like to admit. “We were meant to do this, meant to travel to another world.”

 

Jaehwan nodded enthusiastically, gesticulating wildly with his hands. “I have yet to contribute in any way using my powers during this whole endeavor, but I think my time is coming.”

 

“You’re adaptable,” Hyuk said, narrowing his eyes at his hyung. “You can scope out the universe and change your body to accommodate it, tell us if it’s okay to go through.”

 

There was a long silence as everyone thought that piece of information over.

 

Hakyeon took a deep breath, before letting it out. “And you are all… okay with this? Okay with leaving our world behind? Leaving behind this life we built and our friends and family? Our fans?”

 

Surprisingly, Wonshik was the first to speak.

 

“The music is changing, hyung. It has been for a while. I love my real family, and my friends, but a job is just a job and the most important thing to me in this world right now is us six. When we’re together, everything seems right.”

 

The words would have sounded cheesy coming from anyone else, but Wonshik was sincere in his gaze. Hakyeon glanced around the table and everyone else was nodding at Wonshik’s words, determination flooding their bodies as their eyes narrowed, imagining the next step in their lives.

 

“Alright,” Hyuk said, noting the change in atmosphere. “Let’s do this.”

 

\--

 

Weeks had passed, promotions were finished, and no one was picking up new projects, gently turning down the company when any offers were put in front of them, stating that they needed a small break and time to focus on their next promotions, together as a group of six. The company was slightly unhappy, but allowed them that freedom; they had Gugudan to focus on now.

 

The energy within their dorm had changed, the air seemingly electric. Hyuk had taken up permanent residence at their dining table, with each day passing, his spine bending more and more. He wrote calculations at a frenzied rate, and had papers all over the table, making no sense to anyone but him. The only time he rested was when Hakyeon would put a literal calming hand on his shoulder, causing his shoulders to relax and spine to straighten, or when Taekwoon would bring out a plate of food and set it on top of the table firmly, disrupting his train of thought.

 

One day, when Wonshik was sitting at the table silently watching Hyuk, he interrupted his thought process, speaking softly.

 

“It’s almost time, Hyuk.”

 

Hyuk lifted his head, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “It’s only 9:50, and I don’t remember having any schedules today. I thought we were off this week.”

 

Wonshik just shook his head slightly. “No. It’s almost _time_ ,” he said, putting an emphasis on the word. “The music is changing of everything around us. The apartment looks different, and all of us are already shifting into something… more. It’s going to happen soon. You’re going to figure it out soon.”

 

Hyuk sucked in a sharp breath and then let it out, nodding his head. “Okay. You tell the others. Try to get them to visit their families and friends, say goodbye. I felt like I was getting close on all of this calculation work anyway and was going to start messing around with the technology and Hongbin’s brain to actually open the doorway in a couple of days.”

 

“You’re going to need to talk to your family as well, Hyuk,” Wonshik pointed out, placing a soft hand on his head as he walked around Hyuk’s chair. “I don’t think you’ve contacted them often at all these past few months.”

 

And he hadn’t. The last time he talked to his dad was when he was trying to get soldering tools, and he talked to his mom right after they came back with the song. He was so focused on trying to fix everyone, and then trying to open the portal that he ignored his family and friends.

 

Hyuk gave him a small, sad smile. “I’ll video call them tomorrow. I don’t have time to go to Daejeon, not now.”

 

Wonshik nodded. “Alright. Don’t work too hard. Please,” he added as he walked out of the room to go inform the members.

 

Hyuk just sighed and returned to the papers in front of him, searching for his pen.

 

\--

 

Hakyeon went to Changwon to visit his family and spend some time with them, as it might be his last chance. When he returned to the dorm three days later, he locked himself in his room and didn’t emerge until the next night, his face slightly greasy and his eyes red and puffy. They had all heard him crying in there but knew he wouldn’t want to be interrupted; sometimes it was better to cry alone.

 

The other members, barring Hyuk, also visited their families, but only stayed for a night or two. Jaehwan wasn’t affected at all by the prospect of leaving, having already known that he would outlive his family and friends. It was something he had decided and come to terms with years ago, and even if he was leaving a little earlier than expected, nothing much was changing.

 

Hongbin was about the same as Jaehwan. He wasn’t too close to his parents and sisters, but after his visit to his grandmother, he came back with a hitch in his voice and a red nose, looking the same as Wonshik and Taekwoon after they made their way back to the dorm. No one was as bad as Hakyeon though, who seemed to be worrying about more than just leaving his family.

 

Hyuk still hadn’t called his family. His mom had texted him, asking how he was, and he just texted her back some kind of vague answer. He was too busy working to be distracted. Deep down, he knew that he would regret not talking to his family, not contacting them when everyone else had, but his work on opening the doorway came first.

 

“Now Hongbin-hyung, you’re going to need to put this on your head again while you sleep. I’m going to take some more accurate calculations of what’s actually happening in your brain, and then use that to see how much power you’re generating, then fix this thing I’ve been working on to harness that power. Understand?” Hyuk asked, holding up the EEG headpiece that was attached to a computer. Hongbin just rolled his eyes at him.

 

“Yes, of course I understand. I’m not an idiot.”

 

“Good,” Hyuk said playfully before fitting Hongbin with the EEG and turning off the lights of the room to help him get to sleep.

 

“Once you do this, once you get your calculations,” Hongbin said slowly once the lights were off and he should have been trying to fall asleep, “that’s it, right? You’re almost there.”

 

Hyuk nodded, knowing Hongbin couldn’t see him in the dark. “We’re almost there, hyung.”

 

It was silent for a few more minutes before Hongbin spoke up again. “I hope we end up in a universe where powers don’t exist.” His voice was tense as he spoke, and Hyuk gave a small, sad smile, understanding Hongbin perfectly.

 

“I don’t think it works that way, since you had powers to begin with and they wouldn’t disappear when we go somewhere else, but for your sake, I hope it does,” Hyuk said, silently wondering what would happen to him, if all of his knowledge and ability to retain it was left behind when they changed worlds. “We all love you and want you to be happy, hyung. I don’t think you’ve been happy for a long time.”

 

Hongbin snorted, but didn’t say anything for several minutes. Hyuk just stared at the computer screen running the data on Hongbin’s brain waves, waiting for them to change and indicate he was asleep.

 

“Thanks, Sanghyuk,” broke the silence, and Hyuk turned from the screen, squinting to see Hongbin’s face on the bed. His eyes were closed, but he was smiling slightly. “I don’t know how this all will turn out, but thank you for doing it.”

 

Hyuk didn’t reply, but he didn’t think Hongbin was expecting one either. The room was silent until Hongbin finally fell asleep, and Hyuk spent his night logging data and shaking his head in astonishment at the amount of energy Hongbin’s tiny body could produce.

 

\--

 

“It’s done, I think,” Hyuk said two nights later at dinner time, when all of them were sitting at the table, Hyuk’s papers no longer crowding the surface, instead in neat piles in his own room.

 

The light chatter that was happening stopped, and everyone turned to Hyuk, eyes burning with determination.

 

“When do you want to do this?” Hakyeon asked, reaching a hand out to squeeze at Hyuk’s thigh in encouragement.

 

“Tomorrow afternoon will give us time to prepare whatever we need,” Taekwoon said, glancing around the table. “We could try then.”

 

There were nods as everyone agreed, but no one continued eating after the announcement.

 

They spent the night packing whatever they thought they would need into a backpack, deciding that traveling light was better than lugging around a suitcase if you had no idea what to expect. There was no real guarantee that they would even survive going to the other world, but their backpacks were a sign of hope they all held on to.

 

When the moment actually came and the device Hyuk had built was attached to wires which were attached to Hongbin’s head, similar to the EEG Hongbin had grown used to.

 

Jaehwan was ready with a rope wrapped around his waist. He was the first one to go through, as he would best be able to adapt to any situation he found himself in.

 

“Now remember,” Hakyeon said as he finished tying the rope securely, “when you tug once that means it’s safe and we’ll all follow you. If you shake the rope, we’ll start pulling you back in. And don’t go in too far as I really don’t want to lose you.”

 

Jaehwan rolled his eyes as he patted Hakyeon on the shoulder. “I know, hyung,” he said. “You told me a thousand times.”

 

Hakyeon just smoothed down the fabric gathered on Jaehwan’s shoulders and sighed, turning to give Hyuk a nod.

 

They all winced as they heard the squeaking noise coming from the machine as it was powered on. They turned to Hongbin who was grimacing, but clearly not too uncomfortable yet. He was laying down on the bed and had just taken a sleep aide, knowing he would never fall asleep on his own accord with all the thoughts floating through his brain.

 

“Once Hongbin falls asleep, it usually takes about 20 minutes for the energy to start building up,” Hyuk explained to the others as they waited around nervously. “Then a doorway should open up, and before you ask, I have no idea what it’ll look like, if we’d even be able to see it.”

 

Jaehwan tried to tell some jokes to lighten the mood, but everyone was too tense. Hongbin had eventually fallen asleep, and now it was only a waiting game.

 

The whirring of the machine Hyuk built got louder as the minutes went by, and Wonshik shied back from it, holding a hand over his eyes to shield them from the light.

 

“It’s here,” he said when they rushed to ask what was wrong. Hakyeon and Taekwoon grabbed a hold of his hands and supported his waist, trying to ground him as his head began to throb.

 

“Where is it?” Hyuk asked urgently, head moving around the room, trying to sense a change in the atmosphere, anything that would signify the doorway was there, but not seeing anything.

 

“It’s against the wall, to your right,” Wonshik replied, wincing as he opened his eyes. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to just walk right through the wall. It’s like it’s not there anymore.”

 

Jaehwan took a deep breath. “Right,” he said, picking up the rope that was hanging around his waist and passing it to Hakyeon. “You take this and don’t let go.”

 

Hakyeon nodded, wrapping the end of the rope around his hand several times before looking up and narrowing his eyes at Jaehwan.

 

“Go.”

 

Jaehwan turned around and strode up to the wall, casually putting his hand against it, a smile coming across his lips when it went straight through the wall. He looked back only once to flash everyone a grin before stepping through the wall fully and disappearing, the rope slowly unrolling and disappearing as Jaehwan walked further in, coming to a stop when the rope was taught, Hakyeon the only thing keeping him connected to this universe.

 

Everyone held their breath as they waited for the movement of the rope, waiting to see if it would be safe to enter. It was a tense minute of silence until Hakyeon felt a sharp tug on his wrist, pulling him forward unsteadily.

 

“Okay,” Hyuk said after a few seconds, exhaling sharply. “Okay.”

 

Hakyeon gave a small tug to the end of the rope, singling to Jaehwan that they would come through.

 

“Hyuk, you and Taekwoon should grab Hongbin, but make sure we’re all connected before going through. Got it?” He received to nods and then turned to Wonshik. “Grab my arm. I’ll help support you.”

 

Slowly, the walked toward the wall, passing the machine as it whirred on the floor, making Wonshik cringe again. Taekwoon came up behind them, supporting Hongbin unsteadily on his back. Hyuk was at the rear, holding onto Hongbin’s top lightly as he bent down and picked up the machine with one hand.

 

Hakyeon took one last look behind him, checking that everyone was safe and laughed slightly when he felt another tug at the rope. “Someone’s impatient,” he said, giving them a smile before dropping it as he turned back around, slowly stepping through the wall. One by one the followed, making sure to keep a hand on each other, gripping tight to make sure they don’t get lost along the way.

 

Hyuk was the last one through. He turned his head slightly, taking one last look at their apartment before he stepped through the wall, his hand holding the machine the last thing to pass through the wall.

 

The doorway closed.

 

\--

 

KPOP Boyband still Missing! 

_Three weeks ago, 6 member Kpop boyband VIXX disappeared suddenly from their apartment in Seoul, South Korea. Authorities claim that they were not seen exiting their apartment, and it is still unknown whether they left willingly or not. Their passports have not been pinged at the airport, but after an exhausting three week search by both police and civilians, it seems like they are no longer in South Korea. Both fans of the group and the general public are reeling at this tragic turn of events, unsure of how to proceed with the grieving process. Their company released the following statement one week ago:_

_“We are devastated by this tragic event and are unsure with how to continue. All 6 boys were kind, honest, and hard-working, and we believe that they would never have left willingly. On behalf of the company, we are deeply sorry to all Starlights and the families of the boys and hope that we will see all six of them home safe soon.”_

_So far the parents of the boys have not released any statements._

 

article by: Carolyn Block

_New York Times_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end. Thank you everyone for reading! I have no plans on writing more in this universe, but feel free to come talk to me with your theories. I need to take this time to thank Dr. Michio Kaku, whose theories on the multiverse helped me come up with the plot of this story. If you want to learn more, I recommend watching these two videos [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hmXrHvmwOM) and [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI50HN0Kshg).  
> Leave a comment, or as always, you can find me on tumblr at leothevixxn or tuberc-leo-fics.


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